1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of waterfowl decoys, namely decoys formed into a semblance of a duck and designed to attract wild ducks for hunting or other outdoor recreation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Duck decoys, whether manufactured from hollow bodied plastic, cork, wood, stuffed canvas, or other materials, are routinely used by sportsmen to attract waterfowl, particularly to facilitate hunting, shooting, and photographing waterfowl. Typical configurations include a decoy body with either a permanent or removable head, decoy line attached to the keel or eyelets at the front or rear of the decoy body, and a decoy anchor or weight used to tether the decoy in place where it is deployed.
Some configurations include push-button or spring-activated “slides” used to hold the decoy anchor in place after it is pulled with decoy line to a position adjacent to the bottom or keel of the decoy body. Other configurations require winding or twisting the decoy line around the keel of the decoy body and tucking the anchor weight under the line or wrapping a flat strap lead weight around the decoy body neck/head. Still other configurations incorporate elastic cords or links to the decoy line near the anchor weight to assist in storing the anchor weight once the line is wrapped for storage.
Regardless of configuration, current retrieval of deployed decoys requires the individual to remove the decoy from the water directly and either pull or wrap the decoy line and decoy anchor weight around the decoy body or adjacent to the decoy body. These actions necessarily require some contact with water that can be extremely cold during the North American wildlife hunting seasons.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a duck decoy with an anchor that allows convenient storage of the anchor when the decoy is not in use. Another object of the present invention is to provide a duck decoy that is easy to deploy and retrieve.